San Francisco Ballet gives world premiere of Arielle Smith’s Carmen, with score by Arturo O’Farrill

On April 4, 2024, the San Francisco Ballet gave the world premiere of a newly reimagined Carmen by Arielle Smith, a Havana-born, London-based choreographer who was recently awarded an Olivier for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for Jolly Folly with English National Ballet and named “One to Watch” by The Guardian in 2022. Inspired by her Cuban heritage, Smith sought to break away from traditional portrayals of Carmen and the familiar context of the Bizet opera, centering the story on the independent woman at its heart and restoring agency to the iconic heroine, while infusing the work with the rhythms and sounds of Cuba.

Smith’s choreography was complemented by a newly commissioned score by Arturo O’Farrill, who has written three ballet scores for Ballet Hispánico in New York as well as Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company; his compositions have been featured in the repertoire of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as well. Carmen marks his first commission for SF Ballet.

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